Monthly Archives: July 2011

Every City Needs Its Heroes.
Directed by Steve James. Produced by Alex Kotlowitz and Steve James.

An epic tale of courage and hope, The Interrupters is a new film from Chicago-based director/producer Steve James (Oscar-nominated for Hoop Dreams) and award-winning author-turned-producer Alex Kotlowitz (There Are No Children Here), whose original article inspired the film.

Like this:

In Monday’s RedEye, we ran a portion of an article by the Chicago Tribune about homeless gay youths on the streets of Boystown.

It began with this paragraph: “Feet aching in worn-out gym shoes, Robert Dibbles walks the streets of East Lakeview, always on an uncertain path.”

For a loyal RedEye Twitter follower, the path was a little more certain. I received a direct message asking me how to get in touch with the person in the article to give him some shoes.

For anyone that thinks one person can’t make a difference, I’d beg to differ. What a wonderful message to receive.

I suggested she reach out to The Night Ministry, a Chicago nonprofit that has worked with LGBT youths in Lakeview for decades, because it was mentioned prominently in the article. Hopefully our reader and the ministry can work together to do something awesome for someone who really needs it.

The video I just posted came from the site above. I was watching the news and they interviewed a formerly homeless woman from Chicago who said when she started using Social Media the thing that meant the most to her was just knowing someone was out there listening to her.

But it goes beyond that. It gives them a sense of normalcy and serves as a tool to find resources, submit resumes, and get their life back on track. Those homeless who are able to afford phones cling to that connection to the “normal” world. Those who can’t afford phones to stay connected find free web access at libraries and other places.

What the Hell?

Chicago, freeze-dried bodies, kids sleeping on the streets. That's what this blog is about. What's what my novel is about. Dark urban graffiti, hard rock music and doing what you gotta do to survive. Small glimpses of the novel mix with snapshots from real life. You tell me which posts are real and which are fiction. If you can.